(Photo via Miami Heat/X)
The Miami Heat have yet to earn their first preseason win, and that notion continued Wednesday night when the Heat hosted Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
The core starters in Bam Adebayo, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic played just a combined 22.5 minutes. However, the Heat bench still had an opportunity to win this game.
New first-round draft pick Kasparas Jakucionis made his debut off the bench and looked impactful, finishing with 8 points and 10 assists. His playmaking potential was on full display, and even showed glimpses of providing strong point of attack defense. He was active.
Jaime Jaquez Jr., who was delegated to a second unit role after Dru Smith got the starting nod, also looked impressive scoring the ball. Not to mention a high flying poster dunk over Wembanyama early in the game.
Norman Powell recovered after a slow start offensively, finishing with 18 points for the second consecutive outing. The rest of the starters struggled. Adebayo and Wiggins shot just 3 of 10 from the field each, and Jovic didn’t have much of an impact either.
But the key piece that has been in competition with Jovic for a starting role in Kel’el Ware showed out.
Ware dominated the stat sheet, leading Miami’s bench unit with a monster 29 points and 12 rebounds double-double against Wembanyama. He shot an efficient 12 of 19 from the field (63%) and knocked down three shots from deep— along with adding one block and one steal.
Coach Erik Spoelstra has made it clear that he’s looking for an impact that goes deeper than just the numbers from Ware. In that regard, the talented 7-foot was also an encouraging +10 in his minutes on the floor. Spoelstra had acknowledged postgame that he thought Ware was “playing with force.”
These exhibition games give a good opportunity in experimenting with lineups and rotations that work. The first 10-deep looked solid in this game against San Antonio, and brought Miami out to an early lead.
So far, the preseason trend with these losses has looked like the two-way youngsters struggling to close out games.
Although it’s encouraging to see Ware and Jakucionis still standout.
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If it is apparent by early January that the team, as currently constructed, won’t be a viable contender, It may be the right time to either:
A) Look for a team interested in trading an alpha/ss or
B) Have a fire sale and trade Herro as well as players on expiring contracts such Powell, Wiggins, Fontecchio and Rozier for assets (young players with potential and draft picks) in preparation for 2026-2027.
no fire sales ill lose interest for a sorry heat team real fast.eric reid rc posts and a competivive team is ok
If you don’t want to see the Heat rebuild, embrace what they are trying to build now. It’s a fluid situation. Things are constantly changing. I think Miami is capable of being one of the best quality 10 man rotations in the NBA (after NY). Miami is 1-2 strategic trades away from being a top 4 team in the Eastern Conference.
If Riley doesn’t pull the trigger for a third big man to rotate with Ware and Bam and/or doesn’t acquire a ss, I don’t see massive improvements. However, if Riley is able to bring in an alpha (like Giannis) anything is possible.
no dunc and ty for now d will be so much better that matters.we got norm for nothiing.ware can be a 20 10 guy but with bam here that aint gonna happenjjj looks thinner and better.im not that high on nico as most are, prove it nico.precious is our 3rd big hes ok no slouch sun like achiuwas game.team is 5 -7 wins better than last years team.nyk cleve clearly better prob det.rest of east we can beat on any given night
This game is exactly why I preach patience and not jumping to conclusions. You can’t judge a player on 1 play, 1 quarter, 1 game, or even 1 season. I have said you can’t tell what level of development a 22 year old player like Jovic might reach. The idea that he might only be a viable player in Europe was (let me try to be diplomatic) short sighted. He is a young 6’10” player with pg-like skills that can create serious mismatches when guarded by smaller players.
Kas should never have been judged by summer league or ethnicity. He is listed as a 6’6” pg which is great size for the position. It wasn’t just the number of assists he had that was impressive, it was the type of assists. I don’t know if any 2 of his passes were the same – lob, back flip, bounce pass, pocket pass – it was a joy to watch him. And he looks very good on defense – again the size, but also footwork and aggression. But we also need to expect rookie mistakes.
I got tired of saying don’t give up on Jaquez last season. I admit I was a bit concerned in the first preseason game when he was regularly stuffed around the basket. But he has really bounced back the last couple of games.
So, early on, picking Jovic at 27 now seems pretty astute. Kas at 20 might turn out brilliantly. Same with Ware at 15, Pelle at 44, and hopefully Jaquez at 18. I still feel certain that Riley & Co choose players based only on potential, fit, and nothing else. No need for unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.
I also said I believe Powell would have more of an impact than many expected, and I still believe that. Re-signing Davion was another solid move, as was the Dru signing.
This will be a fun team to watch, particularly that there is not the drama, pouting, and clown antics of quitter. I see them going around 45-37 and competing for a 5 or 6 seed. They must avoid a fourth straight play-in year.
Let’s go Heat!
I absolutely agree with everything you have written. Many of us have a tendency to harp on what we don’t like about the team/players rather than what is good about them. Riley looks for certain types of players, gym rats who are committed to working hard to improve their games. He also looks for players who have positive attitudes and are able to get along with others. I too am looking forward to an exciting season with young developing players and established veterans. With a trade or two and the continued development of players like Ware Jakucionis, Larsson, Jovis, Jaquez and others, there is no telling what this team is capable of doing. I still would like to see a good big man to add to the rotation with Bam and Ware. My dream scenario is for Heat to trade for an alpha (like Gianni’s) using current assets (players and picks).
I’m going to talk very honestly now, even more so then before. Third rail here I come….
First off, good comments about not jumping to conclusions. As for ethnicity, preassumptions there can also be unfair, but there is a lot of history that leads to doubting, albeit sometimes prematurely.
We are bucking some well established trends. And, everyone wants to hope for the best, but, I for example, watch the games and I see Powell and Wiggins do things that to be quite specific, Jovic and JJJ can’t do, the things top black players, players that start in the nba, can do, that blacks and whites who are non starter level can’t do. Now we do apparently have two white athletes who are the rarity, finesse type players who can start in the nba, in Ty for sure, and Kaspar may also be another of those who are so gifted athletically that they can start. How many more are there in the league, most of the white players are rotation players or starters who use strength and brawn, along with incredible coordination, as opposed to speed and finesse like Ty and it looks like Kaspar can. Now JJJ is close, he’s as good as black rotational players surely, and Jovic is even closer, almost starter level, as his defense is good enough. If Jovic learns to use power and strength a little more to score and rebound inside he might become starter level. But, for now, there is a difference between Wiggins and Powell and those players. Same would be true of Bam if they let him play forward.
I guess what I’m saying is you may be right about giving these players a fair chance, but don’t celebrate until we see how the real games go. Like Tyson said, you think you got a chance till you get punched in the mouth. Ty has established himself, he’s for real, a rare unicorn. Jovic, JJJ, even Kaspar haven’t yet. And forgive us who notice that we are trying to do things differently down here and have some doubts because no one else does it this way. .
I believe, your logic is a little obsolete. I know, that for years Bird was considered the best white players ever play. Players were mostly black, there was maybe 5-10 % players in the league, mostly with not important roles.
But now you have 2 white players among top 5 in the league, and at least 10 among top 50. The last no.1 draft pick is white as snow, an he is an American too.
NBA is a game of skills now. And white players are as skilled as black ones.
I believe Heat are not doing anything particular. Half of the team is white, true, but there are not in the team, because they are white. They are in the team, because they are good.
Good comments VB. I agree with everything you say. Except I am making one distinction. Even Doncic and Jokic, for all their incredible coordination and skill, do not depend upon or use as much speed, or what I will call high twitch agility, in short, finesse, to be effective, while Ty and perhaps Kaspar do.
They are the rarest of the rare, assuming KJ is another, two unicorns, white players of incredible athleticism that have the approximate coordination of the highest skilled black athletes in the most difficult sport to play on earth. They are Iverson gifted, to qualify it.
And who else in the league is like that, maybe a little bit Ty Jerome, maybe Austin Reaves, maybe. Even Flagg will have some power and brute strength in his many layers of skill. It is the very fact that neither Ty or KJ have that power or strength that makes their games somewhat iffy, and possibly injury prone. Ty gives up a lot on defense but while it’s unlikely KJ will have Ty’s explosive offense, early returns look decent on the d for Kaspar.
I’m just saying they are rare, and a treat to watch. The others, Pelle, Jovic, Jaime, will need power and strength in their games to succeed.
Jokic and Luka are known by incredible strength.. you cant move either of them, if they dont want to be moved. Both are in the class of Zion in that ability. Luka is also known by his elite deceleration ability, probably the best in the league, at least for his size and weight.
So both are in elite athletes in some important areas.
For Heat players. I m sure Goran was the fastest of all players in Heat uniform in past 10 years. Jovic could be in competition for fastest frontcourt player in the same period… for sure he is faster then Bam and Ware, and probably faster then half of the Heats wings and even guards.
So, those are all elite athletes in some regards, maybe more important then jumping high, for example. You have a lot of those who can do that, but that doesnt make them elite players.
I’m sorry if something got lost in the translation. I definitely would NOT reach any conclusions on one preseason game. I am adhering to my own philosophy of objective observation. I’m not assuming what comes next.
kas dru dav how do u divy up the minutos
I think when other players are resting, Kas or Dru can slide over to sg.
Unless there are injuries, I don’t see that happening very often except in cases of blowouts. Jaquez, Larsson and Rozier appear to be the current pecking order after Powell.
Add Herro to that mix when he returns as primary PG eating up 33-35 of the 48 PG minutos.
Until/unless a trade is made involving Herro and until/unless Miami concludes Jakucionis should be in the rotation, I see Herro starting with Mitchell backing him up, Jakucionis acquiring playing time and experience in G League and Smith as an insurance policy in case Herro or Mitchell goes down. Throw Larsson, Jaquez, Rozier and Powell into the mix and things begin getting pretty crowded.
There is definitely plenty of capital available if/when Riley decides to make a trade or two to help improve the team. Hopefully, that happens sooner than later.
The future looking bright for us, glad we didn’t trade for kd. Warewolf looks like a straight up beast, more polished in the post, more accurate from beyond the arc, even his motor is getting better, stronger interior presence/rebounding.but has to play that every game not just when wemby comes to town. JJJ is looks like he’s close to regaining that Juan wick form. He already has very good to elite footwork, looks stronger driving in the paint, added a move or 2, has a more consistent fade away, still has solid D, and rebounding, and decision making is trending upwards. Kaspar the friendly ghost was a revelation with his passing, already looks like one of the best passers on the team, love the size, and pass first mentality, his D is solid for a young rookie, playing with more pace will help his game even more, so opps won’t lock in easier getting easy turnovers which is one of his weaknesses. His connection with ware already looks special. Pat Riley was right drafting him, and clearly still has some juice left. This team looks more exciting then last season and more improved then last season.
There are 3 games left, and we need to see at least:
-Mitchell starting with Powell, Wiggins, Jovic and Bam.
-Ware/Bam combo
-Ware/Jovic combo
-Ware/Achiuwa combo.
-KJ playing extended minutes with JJJ and Ware. I see a great chemistry there.
Based on what I saw till now, I believe the starting lineup should be:
Dru, Powell, Wiggins, Jovic, Bam.
Frontcourt rotation in a halftime.
Bam/Jovic
Ware and one of Jovic, Achiuva or Fonteccio
Ware/Bam
Bam/Jovic
Finishing better of Ware/Bam or Jovic/Bam combo.
Backcourt rotation in halftime:
Dru, Powell, Wiggins
Mitchell, Powell, JJJ
Mitchell/KJ, JJJ, Larsson
Dru, Powell, Wiggins
Finishing:
Dru/Mitchell , Powell, Wiggins.
props to jjj ware kaspar.jjj looks in great shape ready to help asap.wares shot is silky smooth..very long but still gets bullied needs to fight more down on the blocks.but overall love what i saw.kaspar for his first action looks exactly what a pg should be pass first which it looks like hes very good out reading the d and aways on pt with his passes what a way to make your first impression a very solid one.dont know what to do about dru and dav but hes gonna make guys around him better than d and d.very encouraged with these 3 youngens going forward.
Yeah, Kaspar made me think he’s be able to contribute, and possibly be in the rotation, after tonight. Happy to see JJJ with some bounce. We need everyone playing well, plus more health luck after Tyler, to really have a chance to not be in the play-in.
I thought everyone looked really good. I wasn’t too concerned about the win, since it’s preseason… More concerned about how the team gelled. I think we are going to be really good this year, but to be fair, I think that every year. After last season, we need a bounce back year and I am excited with what I see. No more slowed down basketball where we almost run out of time. I am very encouraged by what I am seeing in preseason for our main guys.